Podcast appearances and mentions of rodney north

Bonus Episode: The "Why Worker Co-ops" podcast recently launched as part of the EO Podcast Network, hosted by Rodney North and produced by Bret Keisling. In this episode, Rodney is joined by Esteban Kelly, executive director of the U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives (USFWC) [www.usworker.coop]. A transcript of the introduction to his bonus episode, which includes links to all of the topics mentioned, is available on our website at https://www.theesoppodcast.com/post/bonus-episode-introducing-the-why-worker-co-ops-podcast All the podcasts in the EO Podcast Network can be found at https://www.eopodcastnetwork.com/

Bret Keisling, Rodney North and Jesse Tyler discuss how the ESOP and Co-op Worlds can learn from each other and grow stronger, and how the "EO Podcast Network" and its four podcasts will help drive the discussion. The full transcript of this episode, which includes links to all of the topics mentioned, is available on our website at https://www.theesoppodcast.com/post/mini-cast-154-why-an-eo-podcast-network

Bret Keisling is joined by fellow hosts Jesse Tyler (of the Owner to Owner podcast) and Rodney North (of the Why Worker Co-ops podcast) to discuss what Labor Day means in the context of employee ownership. You can watch the video version of this episode or read the full transcript (which includes links to all of the topics mentioned) on our website at https://www.theesoppodcast.com/post/mini-cast-150-happy-labor-day

In this episode, Bret Keisling and EO/Co-op Advocate Rodney North discuss the interplay between the shared tenets of democracy and employee ownership. Stay tuned for the Why Workers Co-ops? podcast hosted by Rodney North coming soon on the EO Podcast Network! The full transcript of this episode, which includes links to all of the topics mentioned, is available on our website at https://www.theesoppodcast.com/post/162-rodney-north-revisited

Bret Keisling is joined by co-op consultant Rodney North who shares his EO A-ha Moment, which happened two years after he started working for a workers' cooperative. The full transcript of this episode, which includes links to all the topics mentioned, is available on our website at https://www.theesoppodcast.com/post/mini-cast-138-rodney-north-s-eo-a-ha-moment

We're taking our winter break, which means it's time for our annual walk through #EsOpWonderland! This year we'll tour the highlights of our 2020 interviews. In the first interview of the series, Bret Keisling is joined by EO/Co-op Advocate Rodney North to discuss the interplay between the shared tenets of democracy and employee ownership.

Bret Keisling is joined by EO/Co-op Advocate Rodney North to discuss the interplay between the shared tenets of democracy and employee ownership. Read the full transcript of this episode is on our website here: https://www.theesoppodcast.com/post/117-rodney-north-eo-co-ops-democracy

Bret Keisling discusses the new "Own Your Job Job Board" [https://www.apisheritage.com/oyjjobboard] recently launched by Apis & Heritage Capital Partners (A&H) and the Democracy at Work Institute (DAWI). Also: an excerpt from our upcoming episode with EO/co-op advocate Rodney North. The transcript and links for this episode are available on our website at: https://www.theesoppodcast.com/post/mini-cast-99-new-eo-job-board-launches

Rodney North, Cooperative Consultant and member of the DC Cooperative Stakeholders Group, discusses a mapping project of Cooperatives in the DMV, resources for cooperatives, and priorities of the DC Stakeholders Group. Rodney North has spent more than two decades in co-ops, helping co-ops, or advocating for the co-op model, and usually was doing all three at the same time. Today Rodney is consultant to cooperatives, and an active member of the DC Cooperative Stakeholders Group. This is a group of local people and institutions who have been meeting for 2 1/2 years, to explore ways to strengthen and support co-ops in the city. The city is supporting this effort because business cooperatives are one thread in the city's overall economic development strategy. Before returning to the DC area in 2015 Rodney spent 20 years as part of Equal Exchange - one of the nation's largest, most successful, and influential worker-owned cooperatives. You may know Equal Exchange for its brand of organic Fair Trade coffee, chocolate or other foods. But it is also a $65 million dollar enterprise 100% owned and controlled by the 150 men and women who work there. Rodney held many roles there: Vice chair of the board of directors, worker-owner, staff trainer and other leadership positions.

In this episode, Kevin speaks with Rodney North, a member of the DC Cooperative Stakeholder Group, a co-op consultant, and a former co-op member for many years. Rodney and Kevin discuss a number of issues related to a coop, how one becomes a co-op consultant, and a little about the DC cooperative stakeholders group.

This podcast re-posted with permission from the National Press Club. To see the original podcast page for this episode, please go to the NPC website: https://www.press.org/news-multimedia/audio/exploring-growing-popularity-fair-trade-products Shannon Fisher explores fair trade, a manufacturing and distribution process that closely monitors imported products and ingredients from farms to store shelves, with an emphasis on global human rights. Shannon interviews Rodney North, director of Marketing and External Relations for Fairtrade America, which is the foremost domestic certifier of fair trade products. They discuss the certification process and the reasons for the growing popularity of fair trade products. Shannon later speaks to Cheryl Pinto, director of Values Led Sourcing for Ben & Jerry’s, about her company's use of these products. The ice cream manufacturer is the foremost corporate user of fair trade products in the United States. Follow Shannon on Twitter: @MsShannonFisher Follow the National Press Club on Twitter: @PressClubDC #Journalism #NationalPressClub #Podcast #Trade #FairTrade #FairtradeAmerica #Ben&Jerrys #BenAndJerrys #ShannonFisher #MsShannonFisher

We're fascinated by the ways in which we can apply tried-and-true business models and structures, while reimagining them for today's economy. On this episode of The Tidbit, we sit down with Rodney North — formerly the “answer man” of Equal Exchange, a democratically owned and governed worker co-operative with 150+ worker-owners and approximately $60M in annual revenue. Tune in to learn the history of co-ops and best practices on how to start one.

Vernon Interviews Rodney North, Public Relations Manager for Equal Exchange, a 100+ person worker co-operative. Rodney joined Equal Exchange 19 years ago and has been a member of the co-op for 17 years. During this time the co-op has grown into a $55 million enterprise, best known for its Fair Trade coffee, tea & chocolate. North has held a variety of other roles within the co-op.

Everything Co-ops Host, Vernon Oakes, interviews Rodney North, Cooperative Consultant, and member of the DC Cooperative Stakeholders Group. Vernon and Rodney discuss events and initiatives of the Stakeholders Group, their upcoming workshop, “How Co-ops Strengthen Neighborhoods,” and the DC Anchor Partnership. Rodney North has spent more than two decades in co-ops, helping co-ops, or advocating for the co-op model, and usually was doing all three at the same time. Today Rodney is consultant to cooperatives, and an active member of the DC Cooperative Stakeholders Group. This is a group of local people and institutions who have been meeting for the last six months - thanks to support from the city's Department of Small and Local Business Development - to explore ways to strengthen and support co-ops in the city. The city is supporting this effort because business cooperatives are one thread in the city's overall economic development strategy. Before returning to the DC area in 2015 Rodney spent 20 years as part of Equal Exchange - one of the nation's largest, most successful, and influential worker-owned cooperatives. You may know Equal Exchange for its brand of organic Fair Trade coffee, chocolate or other foods. But it is also a $65 million dollar enterprise 100% owned and controlled by the 150 men and women who work there. Rodney held many roles there: Vice chair of the board of directors, worker-owner, staff trainer and other leadership positions. But he was best known as The Answer Man. He was called the Answer Man for many reasons, but especially because so often when people - inside or outside the co-op - needed answers Rodney was there to help, drawing on his many years of experience and his wide knowledge of the issues that mattered to Equal Exchange, its customers and it the thousands of farmers that supplied his co-op.

TOPICThe Impact of Trade Deals in America IN THIS EPISODE[02:36] Introduction of Rodney North. [03:13] Rodney shares about when he became passionate about fair trade. [04:27] Rodney explains the mission of Fairtrade America. [05:54] Rodney describes the coffee-focused project Fairtrade America is involved in. [07:45] Is there a corollary within the tea industry for those who don’t drink coffee? [09:24] Why is fair trade an important issue for working-class and lower-income Americans? [10:24] How would you define “fair trade”? [13:33] Rodney explains NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement). [16:15] How do trade deals impact the environment, working-class Americans, and our communities? [18:52] Is it possible to structure a trade deal when the cost-of-living imbalance is so great on a global scale? [23:03] If people don’t understand the value of organized labor and being paid a fair wage, are they able to understand what’s happening with the undermining of workers in other parts of the world? [26:07] Where can listeners learn more about Fairtrade America? [26:48] Rodney shares one change that would lead to smarter, more sustainable, and more equitable communities. [27:40] Rodney describes the action listeners can take to help build a more equitable and sustainable future. [28:52] Rodney explains what trade looks like 30 years from now. GUESTRodney North is Fairtrade America’s Director of Marketing and External Relations. Rodney oversees Fairtrade America’s marketing, public relations and advocacy efforts to increase awareness and support for equitable business practices involving smallholder farmers and other stakeholders. He has worked in the fair trade foods movement longer than all but a handful of individuals in the nation and has been deeply involved in communicating the fair trade story to diverse constituencies. Prior to his role at Fairtrade America, Rodney worked for Equal Exchange, a worker-owned cooperative and market leader in the fair trade and organic food movements. North joined the pioneering company in 1996, serving in various positions, including for the past 15 years in media relations and public advocacy roles. He earned the nickname The Answer Man because of his extensive knowledge of fair trade, the global food industry, small farmer co-operatives, socially responsible and sustainable business practices, and how business models intersect with human development. At Equal Exchange, North was also one of the co-operative’s 120 worker-owners. He was a two-term director of the enterprise’s Board of Directors, and he served as Vice Chair for three years. North has also volunteered with the Fair Trade Federation (membership screening committee), and for four years was an advisor to the board of directors of La Siembra, a Canadian worker co-operative and 100% fair trade, 100% organic food company. ORGANIZATIONFairtrade America is a national, nonprofit organization committed to helping smallholder farmers and workers around the world get a fairer price for their products, access to international markets, and funds for community development that will enable them to lead better lives, and invest in their communities. Fairtrade America is a member of Fairtrade International, which comprises 25 such organizations around the world and three producer networks that together establish international Fairtrade standards. Fairtrade International is unusual among ethical certifications due to the large governance role played by its members in the global south. Participating farmer producer groups hold half the votes in the Fairtrade International General Assembly and more than one-third of the seats on the Fairtrade International board of directors. The Fairtrade Mark is the most recognized and trusted ethical label worldwide, found on products sold in over 120 countries that are sourced from over 1,200 producer organizations representing 1.5 million farmers and workers in more than 65 countries. The